Carlow shooter Evan Fitzgerald (22) had ‘a fascination with firearms'
Evan Fitzgerald, the 22-year-old gunman at the centre of an
incident at a Carlow shopping centre
on Sunday, was described by a
Garda
detective as having 'a fascination with firearms'.
Gardaí with the
Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau
(DocB) believe Mr Fitzgerald had been illegally sourcing and using guns and ammunition over a period before he was caught last year.
When arrested, he confessed during Garda interviews.
A steelyard worker of Portrushen, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, he fired a number of shots into the air in the busy Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow Town at about 6.15pm on Sunday before taking his own life.
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He had been on bail for over a year as he awaited trial on charges relating to possessing two guns, ammunition for a wide range of firearms and explosive powders.
The two guns – a G3 Heckler and Kock machine gun and a Remmington M1911 handgun – were seized along with two types of ammunition last March in Co Kildare, resulting in Mr Fitzgerald being charged.
He also faced nine other charges, including seven related to possessing ammunition and two of possessing powders that could be used to make explosives, all being stored by him at a premises he was closely linked to.
At Mr Fitzgerald's first appearance before the courts last March, Det Gavin Curran of DocB said the bureau had been investigating firearms trafficking. As part of that inquiry it performed a controlled stop in Straffan, Co Kildare, supported by the Emergency Response Unit, resulting in the two guns and ammunition being seized.
It was alleged the firearms were purchased online on the dark net for €2,700 by Mr Fitzgerald using an encrypted email account.
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Panic and fear over Carlow shooting turns to shock
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The court was told he had made full admissions.
Det Curran said it was not believed the firearms were connected with organised crime. Neither was Mr Fitzgerald suspected of being part of an organised crime group. Rather, it appeared the guns were to be used for shooting in the woods.
'Mr Fitzgerald has a fascination with firearms. He is big time into firearms,' said Det Curran.
Mr Fitzgerald was also described as being 'young and naive' during the same court hearing.
After initial Garda objections he was granted bail, with strict conditions. He had appeared in court four weeks ago, with his next appearance scheduled for tomorrow.
He faced 13 charges in total: two related to the seizure of the guns; two for possessing an explosive mixture and explosive substances; and the remaining nine for possessing ammunition for a range of firearms, including an AK-47.
When he died on Sunday in Carlow, gardaí were concerned about a container of liquid he was carrying, fearing it may be flammable or explosive. Army bomb disposal experts from Collins Barracks, Cork, attended the scene and declared it safe. A large security cordon was put in place after the incident on Sunday evening and remained overnight and through yesterday.
Mr Fitzgerald's remains underwent a preliminary examination by a pathologist at the scene before being removed yesterday afternoon to the State Pathologist Office, Whitehall, north Dublin, for formal identification.
While the postmortem, being carried out by State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers, was expected to confirm Mr Fitzgerald died of a gunshot wound, Garda sources said toxicology tests would also establish if he had any intoxicants, or other substances, in his system.
The security cordon remained in place at the shopping centre and its car park on Monday night. However, gardaí issued a public statement saying members of the public would be allowed inside the cordon to retrieve vehicles they had parked there on Sunday.
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